Ey albebt stebee



(Model.)

. H. A. STEBER.- MACHINE FOR MAKING' MATCH SPLINTS. No. 290,492.

PaentedA Deo. 18, 1883.

INVENTOR y n WITNESSES: @i Q /f/lrpz@ d lin'rrn Sterns arent trice,

HENRY ALBERT STEBER, OF UTICA, NEV YORK.

MACHINE FOR MAKING MATCH-SPLNTS.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,492, dated December18, 1883.

Application filed July 6,1883.

and it consists in the detailed construction of the die and of thecombination and arrangement of parts, substantiallyr as hereinafterfully set forth and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure Il is a side elevation of my improved match-making machine. Fig.2 is a sectional elevation of Fig. l on the line x Fig. 3 is a plan viewof the die. Fig. a is a sectional elevation of said die; and Fig. 5 isan enlarged partly sectional and partly perspective view of the die,parts thereof being broken away.

I make a die, a, consisting of a steel plate with any approved number ofholes, Z, bored or otherwise formed through it from side to side, ofsuitable size to form match-sticks Z from blocks of wood forced throughthe holes, and the holes being as close together as will allow suicntthickness of the partitions o for cutters to split the block intosuitable sticks for matches, the upper edges of these partitions beingsharpened suitably for the purpose. The holes may be square, round, orany other approved shape, but probably round will be the mostprefera-bleform, as they can be formed in that shape by boring with a drill betterthan they can be .made in other forms, and the round form is .the bestfor the match-sticks. parallel to planes traversing the die at rightangles to each other, thereby imparting square upper edges (or nearlyso) to the said holes, whose separating-partitions, as already stated,are sharpened to eiect the cutting of the entire block of wood intowhole splints, which avoids the producing of any half-splints, asexperienced in the honey-combed arrangement of the holes. Further, Iarrange the cutting edges of the holes some distance below the face Therows of holes are arranged` (Model.)

of the die by forming in the die above and around the holes a depressionor concavity, b', as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, whereby the force of theblock of wood will not be received directly upon the face of the die,but upon the cutting-edges of the holes and below the face, whichobviates the shock or concussion that would result by the forciblecontact of the block of wood with the face of the die. The sinking ofthe upper edges of the holes below the face or" the die and arrangingthe same in rows parallel to planes traversing the dieblock at rightangles to each other, and then sharpening the partitions, leaves a post,el, at a point central to every four of the series of holes. withsharpened corner edges and a reduced or tapering upper end or point,whereby the descending block of wood will be caused to have a minimumsurface of contact with the die, since the pointed sharpened posts firstpuncture and begin the cutting of the block to open the way for theentrance of the sharpened partitions of the die-holes, more ef'ectuallypreventing the shock or concussion. This die I arrange in a notch orrecess, d, in a suitable stock, e, over which there is au opening at lathrough the side of the stock large enough to insert the blocks to beformed into matchsticks, to set them up endwise on the die a and alongthe three sides of the chamber into which the blocks are placed, andabove said.

chamber a plunger, f, is arranged to slide in way 7' for being presseddown on the blocks to force them through the die. In this case I haveprovided the said plunger with a small rod, g, for each hole of the die,to descend into the holes and force the sticks entirely through thedie-plate and discharge th em; but they may be omitted and the plainflat head of the plunger used, in which case the sticks will remain inthe dies until forced out by the next block. Jany approved means ofapplying power to the plunger for working it may be employed.

For receiving the bunches of sticks from the die and carrying themtherefrom to the dipping and priming apparatus, I propose to employ anendless chain of links, h, having a suitable opening to receive thesticks from the die and hold them with sufficient friction to carryhthem until forced out by some suitable device,

IOO

which chain I propose to arrange to run unffder the die-stoek e, andgear it so that a link will be ready for its bunch of sticks at everyoperation of the plunger.

The chain-links may have any approved contrivance of eonnectingjoints att' for pivoting them together, and any approved means of working them,provided the same be connected with the plunger-gear to operatesynchronously therewith.

The blocks may be grooved or not on one end to form the points to bedipped and primed before being forced through the die, but it will bepreferred to groove them first, because it can be done cheaper andbetter than the combination, with the stock e, having the socket i orrecess, d, of the die a, having the crossing partitions c, between whichare series of apertures b, said partitions having sharpened edges, thechain of links h, and the plunger j, having a series of small rods, g,adapted to enter the apertures b of the die a, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In a match-splint-making machine, the die plate or block having rowsof holes arranged parallel to planes traversing the said plate or blockat right angles to each other, with the upper edges of theirseparating-partitions sharpened and arranged below the dieface, and asharpened pointed post at a point central to every four of the series ofdie-holes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The die consisting of the plate having sunken rows of holes, saidrows being arranged parallel to planes traversing the die HENRY ALBERTSTEBER.

Vitnesses:

GEORGE GrssrBLE, CHARLES IIAUSMANN.

